Indian / Asian food containers?

Question

Any idea what those stainless steel food containers are called and where I can buy one?

They are cylindrical in shape, have a compartment for curry, one for rice and one for naan.

They look cool and I'd love one to take to work with me.

thanks

Answer 1

They are called "dabbas" or tiffins, only negative is that they cannot be microwaved directly.  They also dont keep your food warm.  But they are fun, here are some great sites:

http://importfood.com/foodcarrier.html

http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&keywords...

http://stores.channeladvisor.com/sundogo...

Answer 2

you can buy them at any indian cusine shops, depends where you live, if you are in the east midlands (leicester). Go to Melton Road. Well known for indian shopping you will find more than what you are looking for!!!!!

Answer 3

They are called tiffins and you would get one in ealing rd Wembley shop called Popats

Answer 4

I have seen them in Asian grocery stores and Asian-run discount stores.  Check your phone book for an Asian or Indian grocery store nearby.  They are cool.

Answer 5

Smart and Final has them, but you would have to find out if you have the store in your area. You sign up for membership and get discounts. Most restaurants and businesses get good value here on bulk items and containers and such.  Also, any restaurant supply house would have them, so again, back to the yellow pages, or the search engine on the computer for addresses..

Answer 6

Tiffin boxes, you should be able to get them from a Ethnic food shop.

Answer 7

As others have mentioned, they are tiffins and the whole thing with the carrying handle is called a tiffin carrier or tingkat in Malay. Modern ones are made with stainless steel. The traditional ones are often enamelled or powder-coated on the outside (with color & various patterns), the metal is usually normal steel or brass, and have a wooden handle on top. In the past, people would take their family tiffin carriers to buy cooked food from outside food vendors, instead of using takeaway containers like today.

In China they had their own version in the olden days, which was large tiered flattish food baskets made of pliable wood strips or bamboo woven into baskets. But these could not hold the food poured directly into the baskets, unlike the tiffins which can hold food like curries & soups.

However, tiffins are not really airtight and there is the risk of spills if knocked over and containing soupy stuff, and it's not insulated so forget about having piping hot meals without reheating separately.

You can get the stainless steel ones in a variety of sizes (diameter of tiffins and no. of tiers) from Asian grocery stores but I think they look rather soul-less and not so 'cool'. The traditional ones at least have a more antique look and is a better conversation piece. The bigger Chinese food baskets would be good for storing fruits like mandarin oranges that don't require refrigeration.